Rebar positioner for masonry construction

ABSTRACT

A rebar positioner for positioning rebar in concrete masonry units has a spine having a midsection, a first end, and a second end. The first end may be partially offset to form a first rest and the second end may be partially offset to form a second rest. The positioner includes a ring, which may be bifurcatingly attached to the spine. The positioner also includes a crossbar attached to the spine.

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.60/708,650, filed Aug. 16, 2005.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

In masonry construction, particularly for the construction of retailbuildings, such as big box retailers or drug stores, sidewalls aretypically made of stacked concrete masonry units (CMUs), commonly calledcinder blocks. CMUs are generally rectangular, right parallelepipedshaving peripheral sidewalls and a central core. Typically the centralcore includes two channels extending between the two longer edges of theparallelepiped and separated a medial wall. During construction, CMUsare stacked by offsetting the CMUs of odd and even courses so thevarious channels of the CMUs align vertically. For example, the leftchannel of a CMU in one course is positioned over the right channel of aCMU in the course above or below. Such staggering, while increasingstability, also creates relatively continuous vertical channelsextending from course to course. Where the blocks are in contact, theyare joined by mortar to adhere the blocks together.

To provide reinforcement, reinforcing bars, commonly called rebar, areextended vertically through the vertical channels, and concrete ispoured into the channel and allowed to set. It is common at someconstruction sites to extend such walls to heights of 30-34 feet.Reaching these heights requires care, however, to insure that rebarproperly positions within the channels and that concrete adequatelyflows into the channel. In many cases, rebar overlapping may be requiredto reach desired heights or to build structures of adequate strength.For example, for an 88 inch length of rebar, the upper 40 inches may beoverlapped with rebar above, and the lower 40 inches may be overlappedwith rebar below, leaving only 8 central inches of rebar withoutoverlapping. Others may use even more overlapping or less overlapping.

Such proper positioning, centering and overlapping of rebar hastypically been accomplished using positioners such as positioner 12shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 1 shows a CMU 10 with central channels 11. Az-shaped wire rod 12 includes two lengths 13 joined by link 15. An ovalportion 14 is welded to link 15 in a manner that bisects link 15. Inuse, z-shaped member 12 is laid on block 10 and mortar is laid onto onsurface 18 of block 10. Rebar 16 extends through one half of oval 14bisected by link 15. The other half of oval 14 can receive a secondrebar in order to provide overlapping rebar placement.

Using traditional positioners however, such as, for example, thepositioner shown in FIG. 1, creates numerous problems. For example, oneof the primary purposes of positioner 12 is to help retain the positionof rebar 16. But, because positioner 12 is itself prone to excessivemovement relative to block 10, requisite rebar positioning can bedifficult. Positioner 12 is prone to lengthwise movement, or movement inline with the longest side of the CMU; widthwise movement, or movementin line with the shortest side of the CMU; and irregular movement, orany diagonal or additional movement. The instability of positioner 12 isfurther exaggerated during mortar application and the application ofadditional blocks. And, in some instances, it is necessary to vibrateblocks or walls under construction during mortar or concrete applicationto facilitate concrete migration into block channels 11. This adds topositioner instability, because such vibration further results in themovement of the rebar positioners. In addition to the generalpositioning problems that can occur as positioners move generally,another specific problem arises when positioners move widthwise orirregularly. When positioners move widthwise or irregularly they have anincreased tendency to punch out mortar on either the exterior orinterior portion of the wall. Such problems require extensive and costlyrepair.

Others have overcome some of the aforementioned positioning problemsusing grid-like positioners similar to positioner 22 shown in FIG. 2.Positioner 22 has a pair of widthwise arms 24 positioned across thewidth of the block 10 and a pair of bent arms 26 positioned lengthwiseand connected to widthwise arms 24. The positioning of widthwise arms 24and bent arms 26 creates square 30. Bent arms 26 have a bent portion 32for contacting the interior part of channel 11 and increasing positionerstability.

While positioner systems such as positioner 22 are desirable for theirability to provide some increased stability, they still leave severalproblems unaddressed. For example, while bent arms 26 reduce lengthwisemovement, they do not always prevent widthwise movement. Again, suchwidthwise instability, in addition to contributing to generalpositioning problems also increases the tendency for mortar punch-out.Such positioners are also problematic because square 30 typically allowsfor too much rebar movement, resulting in further positioninginaccuracies. Even further still, positioners such as positionerssimilar to positioner 22 do not provide two separate positioner portionsfor rebar overlapping, which can create additional alignment problems.Various other positioners have various other shortcomings.

Accordingly, an improved rebar positioner is needed.

SUMMARY

The present invention provides an improved rebar positioner. The rebarpositioner includes a spine having a spine midsection, a first spineend, and a second spine end. Preferably the spine includes both anintegral first spine rest, located at the first spine end, and anintegral second spine rest, located at the second spine end, for restingthe positioner on the CMU. Ideally, the first and second rests areoffset from the spine midsection and allow the spine midsection toextend into a channel of the CMU. Preferably, the midsection of thespine can be positioned downwardly into the channel with a friction fit,but supports lacking a friction fit are also within the scope of thepresent invention.

The rebar positioner also has a ring, preferably attached to the spinenear the spine midsection. Preferably, the ring is bifurcatinglyattached to the spine, or attached to create two separate ring portionsor rebar aligning portions. Those skilled in the art would recognizethat attachment can be achieved by any means, such as by welding,clamping or adhesive. Still others may prefer to cast their positionersas a single item, and such forms of construction are considered to beattachments for the purpose of the present invention. Further, while thering is preferably elliptically shaped to better conform to and positionthe rebar, the ring can be virtually any shape. For example, in otherembodiments the ring may be any number or shape of circles, squares,rectangles, triangles, rhombuses, hexagons, or trapezoids. Still, inother embodiments the ring may have an irregular shape, such as an oval,tear drop, clover, or another shape that is not well defined.

The positioner also comprises a crossbar attached to the spine near thespine midsection. The crossbar has a crossbar midsection, a firstcrossbar end, and a second crossbar end. The crossbar is preferablysubstantially perpendicular to the spine. In preferred embodiments, thecrossbar is also in contact with the ring to increase the strength ofattachment, yet embodiments that do not utilize such ring contact arestill within the scope of the present invention. Still, in otherembodiments, the crossbar may be attached to the spine through the ring,rather than attached directly to the spine, such as, for example, thecross bar contacts the spine without attachment to the spine. In thoseembodiments where the spine midsection is downwardly positioned in thechannel of the CMU, the crossbar, because it is attached near themidsection of the spine, is also downwardly positioned in the channel.The crossbar provides widthwise stability, preferably, by contactinginterior walls of the channel. Still in other embodiments, the crossbarmay provide widthwise stability by contacting other portions of the CMU,or other portions of the CMU in combination with the interior walls.

Further, those skilled in the art will recognize that, while inpreferred embodiments the ring is attached to the spine, in otherembodiments the ring may be attached to the crossbar.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood from a reading of the DetailedDescription taken together with the Drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows a prior art positioner on a CMU;

FIG. 2 shows another prior art positioner on a CMU;

FIG. 3 shows a positioner according to a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 4 shows the positioner of FIG. 3 positioned on a CMU;

FIG. 5 shows a side schematic view of one embodiment of the inventioninstalled on several courses of CMU reinforced by rebar; and

FIGS. 6-10 show other embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 3 shows a rebar positioner 38 according to a preferred embodimentof the present invention. Positioner 38 comprises a spine 40 having aspine midsection 42, a first spine end 44, and a second spine end 45.Positioner 38 includes a first spine rest 46 located at first spine end44 and a second spine rest 47 located at second spine end 45.

In the depicted embodiment, both spine rests 46 and 47 are integral withspine 40. While spine 40 could be constructed of numerous materials,e.g. various ceramics, plastics, metals and woods, preferably, spine 40of the present embodiment is constructed of nine gauge steel wire. Suchwire is ideal because it facilitates the shaping of the spine andprovides the requisite durability needed for construction. For example,as represented by FIG. 3, spine 40 is bent at points 50 and 51 to formthe spine rests 46 and 47 and to offset spine rests 46 and 47 from spine40. While the integral formation of the spine rests 46 and 47 from thespine 40 is ideal in terms of cost efficiency, it is not critical, andothers may prefer to construct spines, which contain non-integral spinerests, or, which contain spine rests made of different materials. Allsuch variations would be within the scope of the present invention.

Positioner 38 also comprises a ring 60, which attaches to the spine 40near spine midsection 42. Preferably, ring 60 bifurcatingly attaches tospine 40, or attaches to spine 40 to form a first rebar aligner 62 and asecond rebar aligner 64. In preferred embodiments, ring 60 iselliptical. However, the ring of the present invention can be almost anyshape, e.g. a circle, square, rectangle, triangle, rhombus, hexagon,trapezoid, oval, or teardrop; or any other shape. Further, while ring 60of the present embodiment is a continuous ring, discontinuous or brokenrings could be used to achieve the present invention. Preferably, theopening of the ring is sized to receive rebar easily, yet inhibitsideways movement.

Positioner 38 also comprises a crossbar 70, which attaches to spine 40near spine midsection 42. Crossbar 70 has a crossbar midsection 72, afirst crossbar end 74, and a second crossbar end 75. Crossbar 70attaches to spine 40 substantially perpendicularly to spine 40 andpreferably at the approximate crossbar midpoint. Others may prefer otherattachment points on crossbar 70, which would still be within the scopeof the present invention. In this embodiment, crossbar 70 also attachesto ring 60 for increased structural strength. Such ring contact is notnecessary to achieve the present invention, and others using otherembodiments may prefer not to attach crossbar 70 to the ring 60.

The positioner 38 is preferably at least partially formed of metal andis more preferably substantially 100% formed of metal. Those of skill inthe art would recognize that a positioner may be substantially 100%formed of a metal, even if various attachment means used to constructthe positioner are non-metals, such as non-metal adhesives or plasticclips, for example.

A wide variety of metals are ideal for forming the various embodimentsof the present invention. For example, positioner 38 could be at leastpartially to substantially 100% formed of steel metal wires, e.g. sixgauge, seven gauge, eight gauge, nine gauge, ten gauge or eleven gaugewires. Preferably, the positioner is formed of nine gauge steel wire. Inpreferred embodiments, the positioner is at least partially coated witha rustproof coating, such as a galvanized coating, or has at leastpartially been given a rustproof treatment or wash.

If the positioner is constructed of one material, such as the preferred9 gauge wire, assembly cost is minimized and waste is reduced. Such costsavings can be realized in a number of ways. For example, becausespines, crossbars, and rings can all be purchased from the samesupplier, i.e. the metal or wire supplier, rather than purchased fromseparate suppliers, bulk purchasing power should be recognized.Similarly because of the ease of manufacturing, those practicing thepresent teachings may be able to produce the positioner themselves,thereby eliminating the need for an additional prefabricator, whichresults in cost savings. Further cost reductions arise by virtuallyeliminating waste associated with the production process. By cuttingmetal or wire to the correct length to form the various components,virtually all starting material can be used, resulting in increasedefficiency and cost savings. Similarly, by cutting metal or wire to thecorrect length to form the various components, there is essentially nowaste produced, thereby reducing costs associated with waste disposal.

Others may desire to form positioners of the present invention out ofother materials, such as other plastics, woods, or ceramics, or out of acombination of other materials and metals. All such combinations wouldbe within the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows positioner 38 of FIG. 3 on a CMU 10. Positioner 38 rests onthe surface 18 of the CMU through rests 46 and 47. Preferably, rests 46and 47 are in substantially the same linear orientation with one anotherand are in substantially the same plane, which would be, in thisembodiment, the plane of surface 18. Further, in this embodiment thelinear orientation of rests 46 and 47 is substantially parallel to thelinear orientation of the midsection of spine 40. Others may desire tooffset the linear orientation of rests 46 and 47 or may desire to orientrests 46 and 47 in different planes, which would be within the scope ofthe present invention. Rests 46 also facilitate positioner 38 insertioninto channel 11.

Rests 46 allow a portion of spine 40 to extend into channel 11.Preferably the portion of spine 40 for inserting in channel 11 is sizedto frictionally fit within channel 11. In this embodiment, the effectsof rests 46 and 47 prevent further widthwise movement of the positioner.Crossbar 70 also inserts into channel 11 and is preferably sized tofrictionally fit within the interior walls of channel 11. In thisembodiment, crossbar 70 prevents lengthwise movement of the positioner.The fit of the crossbar 70 also prevents positioner rotation about theaxis of spine 40. Ring 60, which bifurcatingly attaches to the spine 40,and in this embodiment, also attaches to the crossbar 70, rests withinchannel 11. Rebar 80 is shown inserted into second rebar aligner 64 ofring 60. While in this embodiment, the spine 40 orients widthwise, andcrossbar 70 orients lengthwise, others using other embodiments, mayprefer to orient the spine lengthwise and the crossbar widthwise, whichwould be within the scope of the present invention. Still in otherembodiments, the crossbar may provide widthwise or lengthwise stabilityby contacting other portions of the CMU, or other portions of the CMU incombination with the interior walls of the channels of the CMU. Further,other structural embodiments may include various other ways to span thehollow core or channel of the CMU and make engagement with the innerside of the hollow core of the CMU while still retaining contact withthe upper face of the CMU.

FIG. 5 shows a side schematic view of several courses of CMU 10 withinstalled embodiments of the positioner and rebar. A plurality of CMUs10 are stacked upon one another in courses. A terminated rebar 80A ispositioned by rebar positioner 38A. An additional rebar 80B can bepositioned alongside rebar 80A for the desired overlap, and a furtherCMU course can be added. Concrete is poured into the channels, typicallyfilling four or five courses, up to grout lift 500. Once that concretesets, a further course of CMU (CMU 10A) can be applied and rebarpositioner 38B can be positioned on new CMU 10A. An additional rebar 80Ccan then be positioned on the top of the poured concrete, forming thereinforcement bottom leg for the next series of courses up to the nextgrout lift 502. On top of the course (CMU 10B) immediately below thegrout lift 502, a further rebar positioner 38C is put in place as anoverlapper, so that the two rebars overlap and are held in position bythe two rebar positioners 38C and 38B. Then, when the upper course (CMU10C) is added and a further grout lift level 502 is added, the processcan be repeated. It will be appreciated that joints between the CMUs aremortared, as is conventional. It will further be appreciated that byusing the preferred embodiments, the positioner stays in position andholds the rebar in position centrally within the channel of the CMU,despite the application of vibration, and throughout the laying of othercourses on the laid course, so that remediation and repair work are keptto a minimum. Also, the minimal cross section of the preferredembodiments provides little resistance to the flow of concrete beingintroduced into the channel, reducing the likelihood of void formation.

FIGS. 6-10 show other embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 6 showsan embodiment where the ring 660 is attached to the spine 640 withoutattachment to the crossbar 670. FIG. 7 shows an embodiment where tworings 760 are used to increase the number of rebar positioning options,which could be used to provide increased rebar overlapping, for example,to construct taller structures or to construct more stable structures.FIG. 8 shows an embodiment where the ring 860 surrounds the intersection820 of the spine 840 and the crossbar 870. Such an embodiment could beused to increase the number of rebar aligners from two to four withoutrequiring an additional ring. FIG. 9 shows an embodiment where the ring920 attaches to the crossbar 970. FIG. 10 shows an embodiment where tworings 940 attach to the crossbar.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that CMUs are manufactureprimarily in standard sizes, such as 6″, 8″, 10″, 12″, and 14″ sizes,and also come in custom, nonstandard, or miscellaneous sizes. For anysize of CMU, standard or otherwise, the present invention may beachieved using a variety of dimensions, but some dimensions may bepreferable.

For example, for positioners for positioning rebar in 12″ CMUs,preferably, the positioner has a spine length of between about 8″ toabout 12″, and more preferably has a length of about 10 12/16″. Thepositioner has a spine midsection length of between about 7″ to about9″, preferably about 8⅛″. The positioner also preferably includes firstand second spine rests, which have a length of between about 1 inch toabout 2 inches, and preferably have a length of about 1 5/16″. Thecrossbar has a length from between about 6″ to about 8″, and preferablyhas a length of about 7″. The ring is preferably substantiallyelliptical and has a major axis between about 2″ and about 4″, morepreferably about 2½″; and has a minor axis between about ½″ and about2″, more preferably about 1″. In alternate embodiments, the position ofthe crossbar on the spine varies and can be adjusted to accommodatevarious ring sizes or to accommodate two or more rings. For example, forembodiments using only a single ring, the crossbar may be positioned tobe about 3 7/16″ off the interior of the CMU channel wall, with the ringapproximately over the midpoint of the spine. If two rings are used,however, each ring may be positioned to be about 2½″ off the interior ofthe CMU channel wall, with the crossbar approximately over the midpointof the spine.

Similarly, for positioners for positioning rebar in 8″ CMUs, preferably,the positioner has a spine length of between about 5″ to about 7″, andmore preferably has a length of about 6 12/16″. The positioner has aspine midsection length of between about 3″ to about 6″, preferablyabout 4⅝″. The positioner also preferably includes first and secondspine rests, which have a length of between about 1 inch to about 2inches, and preferably have a length of about 1 5/16″. The crossbar hasa length from between about 4″ to about 6″, and preferably has a lengthof about 5″. The ring is preferably substantially elliptical and has amajor axis between about 2″ and about 4″, more preferably about 2½″; andhas a minor axis between about ½″ and about 2″, more preferably about1″. In the preferred embodiments, the position of the crossbar on thespine varies and can be adjusted to accommodate various ring sizes or toaccommodate two or more rings. For example, for embodiments using only asingle ring the crossbar may be positioned to be about 1½″ off theinterior of the CMU channel wall, with the ring approximately over themidpoint of the spine. If two rings are used however each ring may bepositioned to be about ⅞″ off the interior of the CMU channel wall, withthe crossbar approximately over the midpoint of the spine.

Those skilled in the art will be able, using proportions determined fromthe dimensions provided or other dimensions, to create variousembodiments for any number of CMU sizes.

Numerous characteristics and advantages have been set forth in theforegoing description, together with details of structure and function.The novel features are pointed out in the appended claims. Thedisclosure, however, is illustrative only, and certain modifications andimprovements will occur to those skilled in the art upon reading theforegoing description. It should be understood that all suchmodifications and improvements have been omitted for the sake ofconciseness and readability, but are properly within the scope of thefollowing claims.

1. A rebar positioner comprising: a spine having a spine midsection, afirst spine end, and a second spine end; a ring attached to the spinenear the spine midsection; and a crossbar attached to the spine near thespine midsection, the crossbar having a crossbar midsection, a firstcrossbar end, and a second crossbar end.
 2. The positioner of claim 1,wherein the first spine end includes a first rest and the second spineend includes a second rest.
 3. The positioner of claim 2, wherein thefirst rest is offset from the spine midsection, and wherein the secondrest is offset from the spine midsection.
 4. The positioner of claim 3,wherein the first rest and the second rest are integral with the spine.5. The positioner of claim 3, wherein the first rest is substantiallyinline with the second rest.
 6. The positioner of claim 5, wherein thefirst rest and the second rest have portions substantially parallel withthe spine midsection.
 7. The positioner of claim 1, wherein the ring isbifurcated by its attachment to the spine.
 8. The positioner of claim 1,wherein the crossbar is attached to the spine at the crossbarmidsection.
 9. The positioner of claim 8, wherein the crossbar isattached to the spine at the crossbar midpoint.
 10. The positioner ofclaim 8, wherein the crossbar is substantially perpendicular to thespine.
 11. The positioner of claim 9, wherein the crossbar is in contactwith the ring.
 12. The positioner of claim 9, wherein the crossbar isattached to the spine through the ring.
 13. The positioner of claim 1,wherein the positioner is at least partially formed of metal.
 14. Thepositioner of claim 1, wherein the positioner is at least partiallyformed from a group of steel metal wires selected from the groupconsisting of 6 gauge, 7 gauge, 8 gauge, 9 gauge, 10 gauge and 11 gauge.15. The positioner of claim 13, wherein the positioner is at leastpartially coated in a rustproof coating.
 16. The positioner of claim 13,wherein the positioner has at least partially been given a rustprooftreatment.
 17. A rebar positioner comprising: a spine having amidsection, a first end, and a second end, wherein a part of the firstend is offset to form a first rest and a part of the second end isoffset to form a second rest substantially in line with the first rest;a ring having a perimeter and attached to the spine near the spinemidsection with portions of the ring on either side of the spinedefining areas sized to receive rebar; and a crossbar attached to thespine.
 18. The rebar positioner of claim 17, wherein the positioner issized for positioning rebar in 12″ CMUs.
 19. The rebar positioner ofclaim 17, wherein the positioner is sized for positioning rebar in 8″CMUs.
 20. The rebar positioner of claim 17, wherein the positioner issized for positioning rebar in CMU selected from the group consisting of6″ CMU, 10″ CMU, and 14″ CMU.
 21. The positioner of claim 17, whereinthe ring is substantially elliptical and has a major and minor axis. 22.The positioner of claim 17, wherein the crossbar is attached to thespine near the ring.
 23. A rebar positioner comprising: a spine having aspine midsection, a first spine end, and a second spine end; a crossbarattached to the spine near the spine midsection, the crossbar having acrossbar midsection, a first crossbar end, and a second crossbar end;and a ring attached to the crossbar.
 24. A method of making a rebarpositioner comprising: attaching a ring to a spine near the spinemidsection; and attaching a crossbar to the spine near the spinemidsection.
 25. The method of claim 24, further including forming afirst rest on a first spine end and a second rest on a second spine endby bending the spine to offset the rests from the ring.
 26. The methodof claim 25, wherein the positioner at least partially comprises metal.27. The method of claim 26, wherein the attaching includes welding. 28.A method of constructing walls comprising: laying a first course of CMUsso that the CMUs have generally vertically oriented channels; mounting arebar positioner having a ring member onto a laid CMU to providepositions for at least two rebar so that at least part of the rebarpositioner is recessed within the channel; and laying a second course ofCMUs so that a CMU of the second course has a vertically orientedchannel over the first course so a CMU channel from the first course atleast partially aligns with the CMU channel from the second course andrebar positioned in ring members can extend through the aligned CMUchannels.
 29. The method of claim 28, including inserting a first rebarinto one of the ring members.
 30. The method of claim 29, furtherincluding laying at least a third course of CMU having a channel. 31.The method of claim 30, further including inserting a second rebar intoanother of the positions of the ring member.
 32. The method of claim 31,further including pouring concrete into the channel containing thepositioner and rebar.
 33. The method of claim 28, wherein the positioneris the positioner of claim
 1. 34. The method of claim 28, wherein thepositioner is the positioner of claim
 17. 35. A positioner forpositioning rebar within a CMU having a channel and a top portion, thepositioner comprising: A wire formed into a spine having a first restand a second rest configured to contact the top portion of the CMU and amidsection configured to extend downwardly into and engage the channelof the CMU; a member extending transverse the spine and configured toengage the CMU to provide stability to the placement of the positionerwith respect to the CMU, and at least one ring positioned along themidsection of the spine and configured to rest near the middle of theCMU channel.
 36. The positioner of claim 35, wherein the at least onering is discontinuous.
 37. The positioner of claim 35, wherein themember extending transverse the spine is a crossbar extending from thespine and configured to contact the top portion of the CMU, therebyincreasing stability.
 38. A positioner for positioning rebar within aCMU having a channel and a top portion, the positioner comprising: aspine having a first rest and a second rest configured to contact thetop portion of the CMU and a midsection configured to extend downwardlyinto and engage the channel of the CMU; at least one discontinuous ringpositioned along the midsection of the spine; and a crossbar extendingfrom the spine and configured to contact the CMU at a portion of the CMUto increase stability.
 39. A rebar positioner comprising: a spine ofshaped wire or rod and having a midsection, a first end, and a secondend, wherein a part of the first end is offset from the midsection toform a first rest and a part of the second end is offset from themidsection to form a second rest substantially in line with the firstrest; rings attached to the spine near the spine midsection on eitherside of the spine defining areas sized to receive rebar; and a memberattached to the spine extending transverse to the direction of the spineand configured and located to provide stability to placement of therebar positioner on a CMU.
 40. A rebar positioner as claimed in claim 39wherein the rings are attached to the spine by welding.
 41. A method ofconstructing walls comprising: laying a first course of CMUs so that theCMUs have generally vertically oriented channels; mounting a rebarpositioner that is configured of a shaped rod or wire having a majoraxis, a ring member generally midway the major axis, verticallyextending portions, and a member extending transverse the major axis ofthe positioner onto a laid CMU by inserting the vertically extendingportions of the rebar positioner in frictional engagement within thechannel of the laid CMU and stabilizing the positioner with respect tothe laid CMU with the member that extends transverse the major axis ofthe positioner; and laying a second course of CMUs so that a CMU of thesecond course has a vertically oriented channel over the first course soa CMU channel from the first course at least partially aligns with theCMU channel from the second course and rebar positioned in ring membercan extend through the aligned CMU channels.